Folks in the US will soon be able to download movies on the same day that they are released on DVD, thanks to online film services Movielink and CinemaNow. These services will begin selling downloads this week. Prior to this, both Movielink and CinemaNow offered rental only services, but both have now signed download-to-own deals with major Hollywood studios such as Universal Pictures, Warner Brothers and Twentieth Century Fox. Has the future of movie retail arrived?
The head of CinemaNow, Curt Mavis, described the move as "one giant step for digital distribution".
"This is an endorsement that digital delivery of high value content has finally arrived," said Jim Ramo, head of MovieLink.